South Merced residents restless over lack of attention
By bhcmerced
In
Merced Sun Star,
News
HIGHLIGHTS
Say McNamara Park problems highlight inattention
Residents also calling for supermarket nearby
Districts supposed to bring representation in coming years
A south Merced town hall meeting picked at old wounds for residents south of Highway 99, they said Wednesday, highlighting the feeling that the oldest neighborhood in town gets the least attention.
McNamara Park on Canal Street has been a familiar topic at the town hall meeting held in south Merced every year since 2012. Tamara Cobb, a longtime resident, is often at the forefront of the complaint that the park is disregarded by Merced City Council members, who all live north of Bear Creek.
“We are tired in this community of continuously going back and asking for our share,” she said. “Why isn’t the City Council recognizing these are taxpayers too?”
Their complaints reflect a sense often voiced by neighborhood residents, many of whom were behind the push to divide the city into election districts.
When voters go to the polls in November, it will be the first time some south Merced residents will be able to choose a representative for the new District 1 rather than vote for City Council members at large. Candidates have until this summer to declare they are running. City officials say the District 1 seat has drawn a few queries from potential candidates, but no one has filed paperwork, according the City Clerk’s Office.
South Merced is divided into two electoral districts. District 1, which includes areas east of Highway 59 and south of Highway 140, will be up for a vote this year. Other parts of south Merced lie in District 2, whose representative will be chosen by voters in 2018.
WE ARE TIRED IN THIS COMMUNITY OF CONTINUOUSLY GOING BACK AND ASKING FOR OUR SHARE. WHY ISN’T THE CITY COUNCIL RECOGNIZING THESE ARE TAXPAYERS TOO?
Tamara Cobb, a longtime south Merced resident